2011 February » tgif: let's RV

The Painted Rock Petroglyph Site

Feb 272011

Today started out cool and damp from the cold front that moved through yesterday so I decided to take any easy trip over to the Painted Rock Petroglyph Site. It is located on the eastern edge of the Painted Rock Mountains and about 18 miles northwest of Gila Bend, Arizona where I am now staying.

The Hohokam people once lived and farmed here from the late Pioneer Period (AD 350-AD 550) and Early Colonial Period (AD 550-AD 700). Many well known events in Arizona history occurred near the Petroglyph Site, including the expedition of Juan Bautista de Anza that founded San Francisco, the Mormon Battalion and the Butterfield Overland Mail.

The drive was easy with good paved roads with a 1/2 mile dirt road leading to the site. There is also a picnic area and campground that visitors can use. A gravel path takes you around the site where you can enjoy this ancient art. It should take you less then an hour to view everything. While the site is not big it is well worth the time to stop in and enjoy this unusual area.

Holt's Shell RV Park - Gila Bend AZ

RV Parks & Campgrounds No Responses »

Feb 272011

Located on the east side of Gila Bend Arizona just off of I-8 is Holt's Shell RV Park. The park is located just behind the Shell station and provides easy access to I-8. A great place for an overnight or short stay considering the $12 per night fee using Passport America. The campground has 24 full hook up sites (50, 30, 20 amp, water, sewer), restrooms, shower, laundry and free WiFi.

All of the facilities were clean when I was here. The sites are fairly close together (maybe 20' wide), are gravel with no picnic tables, fire pit or BBQ. The WiFi is decent and the Verizon voice and data connection is strong. Most of the sites are pull through and should accommodate all but the longest rigs. If you have a 40' rig with a toad or trailer you might have to unhook the toad or trailer. Just a short walk away is the gas station, Subway and Mexican fast food restaurant. There is a bit of noise from the trucks at the gas station and there is plenty of lighting that spills over from the parking lot. There is not much else in the area.

Gila Bend AZ

RV Day to Day Life No Responses »

Feb 262011

Today I headed out of Yuma to start my trek back east. Gila Bend is about 110 miles from Yuma so it was an easy trip. A cold front is moving through so it is now windy and it's raining. Sunday is suppose to only have a high in the mid 50s and then it is going to warm up to the 70s. There are a few things to see in the Gila Bend area so I plan on staying here for a few days before I move on.

I settled in at Holt's Shell RV Park which is just off I-8 (exit 119). It's nothing fancy but at $12 a night (PA rate) it's a cheap place to stay. Sunday I plan on heading to the Painted Rock Petroglyph Site and then go to the visitors center to see what else might be interesting. I'll report back on what I find.

Goodby Mexico

RV Day to Day Life No Responses »

Feb 252011

Before I left Yuma I had to head back to Mexico to pick up a few things that I did not get the first time was was there. It was a bit cooler so there were not as many people there. I got a stained glass window for the trailer door window, a couple bottles of vanilla for friends, a wind breaker and I couldn't pass up a good bottle of tequila.

I didn't spend a long time there, maybe 2 or 3 hours not counting the hour wait in the customs line. Tomorrow I head out to Gila Bend. A cold front is going to move through so I'll mort likely hole up there for a few days and wait out the colder weather before I head to the higher elevantions.

Passport America Rally Ends

RV Activities No Responses »

Feb 252011

The rally ended Wednesday and I'm glad it's over. Even though it was my first RV rally and really didn't know what to expect I found I was not alone in feeling it was disorganized and poorly thought out.

While I paid for a water and electric site, there was no water close to where they set me up. I could have moved to a different site after I was all set up but I decided not to tear down and resetup again. The food provided was not all that great and the entertainment they arranged was outside while we ate indoors.

As you can tell I was disappointed and the others I talked to felt the same. I doubt I'll attend another PA rally.

Passport America Rally

RV Activities No Responses »

Feb 202011

Today I moved from the Caravan Oasis campground to the Yuma County Fairgrounds for the 4 day Passport America Rally. They have a number of dinners planed plus a few activities.

I would guess there are about 100 units here. I was suppose to get a water & electric site bit all that's here is electric. A few of us spliced together some water noses and was able to get some water from an outlet about 100 ft. away. We are having a Southwest Cookout welcome dinner in am hour so I have to get ready for that.

Will report back later on how it went.

Los Algodones Mexico

RV Destinations No Responses »

Feb 172011

Yesterday I went to Los Algodones Mexico. Los Algodones is a border town located just southwest of Yuma in Baja California. It is a popular snowbird destination that has more dentists, pharmacies and opticians located in a 4 block area then any other place in the world. Of course there is also the expected street vendors hawking jewelery, pottery, painting and just about anything else you can think of.

Getting there is a short 20 minute drive from Yuma. There is a large paved parking lot right at the border that is run by the local Indian tribe and it costs $5 to park. A 100 yard walk will get you through the border into Los Algodones and you do need a passport or enhanced drivers license to get back into the U.S.

The streets are narrow and the sidewalks are lined with vendors selling their wares. The sidewalks are actually covered with the booths as the vendors pack things wherever they can. Be prepared for the vendors to try to sell you something as you walk by and if you find something interesting never pay their asking price. You can always get a better price with a bit of negotiation.

Yuma Territorial Prison State Historic Park

RV Destinations 2 Responses »

Feb 152011

Today I went and visited the Yuma Territorial Prison State Historic Park. Completed in 1876 and housed over 3000 prisoners during the 33 years it was open. Despite an infamous reputation, written evidence indicates that the prison was humanely administered, and was a model institution for its time.

The facility was advanced for its time as it had electricity, a library, school, hospital and forced air ventilation. Most homes in the area didn't have such luxuries and many Yuma residents were resentful of the prisoners.

Many movies have been made on the prison grounds. The Yuma High School used the facilities from 1910 to 1914 and they are still called the Yuma High Criminals or "Crims". If you are in the area you should stop and visit. They have guided tours and it is an interesting piece of history. Admission is $5.00 for adults.

Paradise Casino

RV Destinations No Responses »

Feb 152011

I'm hot, hot, hot! On my way to visit the Yuma Territorial Prison State Historic Park I took a wrong turn and ended up going by the Paradise Casino. Since I was there I figured I might as well stop in a drop a few bucks.

The casino is fairly small with slot machines, bingo, a restaurant and bar. They also have a part of the parking lot set aside for RV parking with overnight stays. I wasn't real impressed when I walked in and just wondered around for a bit to see if a slot machine looked interesting. I found a penny machine that had some progressive payouts so figured it was as good a place as any to start.

I slipped in a $20 and was betting 30 cents a shot (max was $3.00). Other then a couple of small payouts I wasn't doing much good and it drained me down to under 10 bucks. Then it started to hit! First I hit a $34 progressive, it went dry for a while then I hit a couple $20s then $60 jackpot. That put me over $120. I played a bit more until I was down to $100 and I quit. Sure felt nice to walk away with an extra $80 in my pocket.

Truck Repair Time

RV Day to Day Life No Responses »

Feb 142011

Today was taken up waiting on my truck getting fixed at the dealer. While driving Saturday the dash lights started flashing and I got a warning chime. I looked down at the gauges and seen there was no oil pressure. I pulled off the road and checked the oil level. It only showed about 3/4 of a quart low. Not sure what else to do I started the truck back up, the oil pressure was fine and I drove back to the campground without a problem.

Not sure what the problem was I figured I'd at least add oil to bring it up to the full mark and just see if it happens again. Sure enough, on Sunday it happened again. Again oil was full and after restarting the engine everything was fine. Once I got back I did a bit of searching on the Internet and found some talk about the oil pressure sensor going bad in the Hemi. I could only hope that was the problem.

This morning I took the truck in to the local Dodge dealer. After a few hours wait they told me they were going to replace the oil pressure sensor. 5 hours and $220 later I was back on the road. I can only hope that is really what the problem was. Only time will tell.